travelnutz wrote: Now, take a few minutes and tell me all those horrible bad things about actually having and using only a hands free voice activated cell phone system when you are driving?????
First tell me how a hands free device is actually better than talking on the phone without it? Study after study shows that it is not the holding of the phone that is the problem, it is the distraction of the phone call itself. In other words, requiring people to use a hands free device will solve nothing.
The same people will be doing just as many dumb moves on the highway as they did before, only now they will be doing it with both hands on the wheel.
travelnutz wrote: Now, take a few minutes and tell me all those horrible bad things about actually having and using only a hands free voice activated cell phone system when you are driving?????
First tell me how a hands free device is actually better than talking on the phone without it? Study after study shows that it is not the holding of the phone that is the problem, it is the distraction of the phone call itself. In other words, requiring people to use a hands free device will solve nothing.
The same people will be doing just as many dumb moves on the highway as they did before, only now they will be doing it with both hands on the wheel.
So, you see hands-free phone talking as a problem, but just how is that any different from carrying on a conversation with a fellow passenger in the car with you? It's not, and we all do it all the time -- including you, I'm sure. Maybe thinking things out first would lead to more sensible replies.
turninghawk wrote: So, you see hands-free phone talking as a problem, but just how is that any different from carrying on a conversation with a fellow passenger in the car with you?
Actually, it is very different. The person in the car with you has at least some situational awareness. The person in the car with you can see what is going on around you. The person on the other end of the phone, on the other hand (or in the other hand), has no such knowledge. That makes a BIG difference. The person on the phone can't say, "Dude, watch out for that truck!".
turninghawk wrote: So, you see hands-free phone talking as a problem, but just how is that any different from carrying on a conversation with a fellow passenger in the car with you?
Actually, it is very different. The person in the car with you has at least some situational awareness. The person in the car with you can see what is going on around you. The person on the other end of the phone, on the other hand (or in the other hand), has no such knowledge. That makes a BIG difference. The person on the phone can't say, "Dude, watch out for that truck!".
My grandchildren don't have situational awareness, and there's no problem carrying on conversations with them. Let's not split hairs. Hands-free phones are fine. Those of us in business need, want, and will continue to use such communication devices regardless. Everybody just needs to do two things: 1. Realize we're in the 21st century and adapt, and 2. Just use common sense (which, as the years go by, I find less and less 'common' in people!).
msmith1199 wrote: I'm with you on the crowds, I hate them too. I can visit Los Angeles but in a few days I need to get out of that place. Way too many people. But the majority of California is very rural, probably more so than where you live right now.
Good point and I should have mentioned that. I've been to both the crowded areas (LA, SF) and some very rural areas. The rural areas are great, but even then, it seems as if the horde is not far away (I swear you can hear the hordes from LA/SF no matter where one is in CA).
The problem for me is any job I could get in the state would be in either the LA or SF areas. It would just not work.
And that is true too. I have 20 acres of land up near Yosemite and we take the RV up there all the time. That area does tend to get crowded with people from the Bay Area as well as the tourists. Of course it's not so bad this year with gas prices so high. What's funny (or dangerous) is you can tell the people from the Bay Area up there because they are the ones tailgating you and passing on blind corners, and driving everyplace at 75mph. They are just so used to being in the rat race that they can't even relax in the mountains.
2004 National Tropi-Cal T-350, Class A, Triple slide, 330 HP Cat DP. 2006 Dodge Dakota 4x4 or
2002 Harley FLSTF Fat Boy on a Trailer or
2004 Polaris Quad on the Trailer
msmith1199 wrote: ...you can tell the people from the Bay Area up there because they are the ones tailgating you and passing on blind corners, and driving everyplace at 75mph.
I'm from the Bay Area, but you'd never know it if you saw me driving through there.
turninghawk wrote: My grandchildren don't have situational awareness, and there's no problem carrying on conversations with them.
Actually, they do. They will respond to the change in your conversational tone.
I remember one time when one of our kids was "upset" in her car seat. At about the same time, we ran into this major rain storm and other drivers were deciding to stop on the freeway in their lane. I was driving and my wife was sitting shotgun and helping me dodge the stopped cars (and stay on the road). This lasted for a few minutes at most and when we got out of it, we noticed that our DD had stopped crying. We looked back at her and she had this rather "scared" look on her face. She knew that Mom & Dad were really upset at something, but she didn't know what it was (we were shouting over the rains storm giving directions and look outs! to each other). She was pre-verbal, yet she had situational awareness to know Mom & Dad were dealing with a Major issue.
